The invention relates generally to the field of electronics and, more particularly, to supplying power to electronics equipment.
In a computerized electronic system, which includes multiple electronics modules, a backplane is used in order to provide primary power to the modules, as well as to enable each of the modules to communicate with each other and with the external environment. As backplane communications technology progresses, fewer physical connections to the backplane are required since multiconductor parallel interfaces can be replaced by high-speed interfaces. Additionally, the use of high-speed fiber interconnections further reduces the required complexity of the backplane since each of the electronics modules can communicate with each other and with the external environment using only a single fiber-optic interface.
However, although electronics modules need only communicate using a single fiber optic connection, thus virtually eliminating the need for a conventional backplane, a need still exists to provide primary power to the electronics module. Hence, an apparatus for coupling power to an electronics module, which does not require a conventional backplane, would be highly desirable.